As Strong As We Are United
by dearemmahansen
Summary: ... as weak as we are divided. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Annabeth Chase all end up in New York at the same time. They all end up on the run from SHIELD, and they all end up meeting- right before the Avengers are first assembled and an alien army comes flying in from space. Is it a coincidence, or is it Fate… Co-written by shadowphoenix55.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.**

**AN: This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter One**

By shadowphoenix55

Harry Potter had been on the run from fame for around a decade. After the Battle of Hogwarts, he had tried to fit back in, but every time he walked out of his home, people flocked to him like sheep. There was no hiding from it while he was in Britain, so he packed up his bags. He didn't say goodbye to the Wizarding World - he was tired of them, honestly - and he didn't say goodbye to Ron or Ginny or any of those friends. He knew that they would overreact, try to keep him from going. And Harry knew he had to go. The one person Harry told he was leaving was Hermione. He needed someone to break the news when he was gone, and she was the least likely to rant about it to him. She knew that he was suffering from his fame - unlike Ron and Ginny, who soaked it up and wanted more. So, when he told her, Hermione kept it together for him - only telling him that she would break the news and requesting he send her letters. Harry agreed. Harry was reaching for the floo powder when Hermione crushed him in a hug.

"Sorry." She said, "I can't let you go without a hug."

Harry nodded. He didn't mind.

One minute later, Harry was gone.

Harry had never looked back. He traveled the world, something he'd always wanted to do. He loved every place he traveled to, including Africa, France (which was a little too close to Britain for his liking), and China, but his favorite place was the states. He didn't know why, but something about their technological advancements, democracy, and magic drew him in. The last thing was a bit odd. There was magic concentrated in places all over the world, including by the Effel tower, the Leaning Tower of Pizza, and Big Ben, but there were a lot more magic concentrations in the states. The Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building were just a few of them.

Anyways, Harry's liking of the states was why he decided to settle there. After a decade, traveling was getting too much of the same. Plus, it was tiring, moving around all of the time. Harry wanted some place that he could call home. Hogwarts used to be that place, but after the battle of Hogwarts… there were too many bad memories, too many deaths there for it to be comforting.

Harry chose a relatively small place in New York. Even with all of his money, he had never developed a taste of extravagant things. He did leave enough room, however, for a small restaurant on the first floor of the house. When he stopped cooking for people he hated, Harry realized how much he enjoyed cooking. It was a pleasure to be able to see other people's faces light up because of his food.

Harry pondered names for awhile, before deciding on something from his past.

Harry stood outside of his new restaurant, grinning up at the sign.

_Now open for business:_

_The Traveller's Inn._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: **This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!

**Chapter Two**

By dearemmahansen

Percy and Annabeth were tired.

Really tired.

The war against Gaea took far too much out of all the demigods. After being overwhelmed by monsters and watching those they loved die, it could be a miracle just to see someone at camp smile.

Growing up with his mom, Percy wasn't used to this gloominess. Sally Jackson had always had a smile and a hug for whenever things grew hard, and if he was being honest- he could really use a smile and a hug. Annabeth was always there for him, but he could see the toll the battle had taken on her. See how her eyes watered when she thought he wasn't looking- how he was the only one who could drag her from her laptop and sweltering cabin.

He knew she needed a break more than him. He didn't have as many ghosts from the past.

"Hey," Percy had said softly one afternoon, sitting with her head on his shoulder, watching the clouds over the lake- "What would you think of taking a break from camp?"

"What?" Annabeth had replied immediately, eyes wide as she looked at him. "Are you crazy?"

"Hear me out," he assured her. "I think we need to get away from all of this. All of this gloominess and mourning and curling up with laptops."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "I feel attacked."

The truth was that she had been feeling much too gloomy. On dark nights when her cabin felt too empty and her shoulder ached, her mind would go back to her days on the run, Luke and Thalia the only people that she could trust. But while those adventures once were thrilling and exhilarating, the memories of them brought chills down Annabeth's spine.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Sally said we could come stay with her." That did nudge Annabeth along. "And that there's an intern position open at Stark Industries…."

"Really?" Annabeth asked, mouth open. Her dream job.

Percy nodded with a smirk. "So, what do you say, Wise Girl? Take a small adventure into New York City for a few months? High school not included."

"High school's still included for you, Seaweed Brain. Just cause I graduated early doesn't mean that you can just stop going."

Percy pouted. They eventually reached a compromise. Percy could go to school while Annabeth chased the internship of her dreams.

A few days later with bags packed, Annabeth and Percy were on their way out of camp and down to New York City - following a chance at a normal life.

Unfortunately, the Fates had a different plan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: **This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!

**Chapter Three**

by shadowphoenix55

"Hello." Annabeth said, attempting to push her nervousness down as she looked the person at the front desk in the eye, "My name is Annabeth Chase, and I am here to interview for an intern position."

The woman typed something on her computer and waited for a few seconds before nodding.

"Welcome to the Stark Industries, Miss Chase." She said before pointing to the left, "Go through that door to start your interview."

Annabeth gave a weak smile.

"Thank you." She replied, before turning to the door. She forced her feet forward. She was probably going to get the job - she was the daughter of Athena, of course - but a twinge of doubt was stirring within her. Working at the Stark Industries had been her dream job, before… before. Now, with Percy's "break", she had a chance to get her dream. But failing… failing was Annabeth's fear. The embarrassment of Percy knowing that she didn't get the "nerd job" was too much - and her mother! Athena would kill Annabeth if she didn't get the job. Well, if Athena even noticed.

Annabeth paused at the door.

This was it.

She reached for the handle.

She took a deep breath.

She closed her eyes.

She opened to door and stepped in.

Eyes open, Annabeth noticed that there were fifteen other people in the room already. When she'd called, they had said there would be twenty.

"Five minutes early." The man to the side said, writing something down on his clipboard, "You see that? A respectable time to arrive. Anything before that, and we won't be ready for you. Fortunately for the other fourteen of you," The man glared at the rest, "I have been doing this job for years, and I am prepared for anything."

Annabeth stood there for a half of a second, before quickly sitting down.

They waited in silence. Annabeth watched the clock slowly tick towards 9. When the short hand finally hit the number, the man tisked.

"Six late." He said, "Not the worst, but not the b-"

Suddenly, a boy with blond hair and blue eyes burst into the room, panting.

"Sorry I'm l-" He started, but the man was having none of it.

"We do not tolerate lateness." The man interrupted sharply, "You may leave. You are not fit for this job."

The boy looked as if he was about to argue, but decided against it. He simply turned and left.

"Now that that is taken care of, please turn to your computers…" The man started. All of the hopefuls proceeded to take a test on the computers that was a sort of mash-up between computer science, science, math, and in-this-situation-what-would-you-do. Annabeth whizzed through the test - it was all easy. She'd heard of all of it before. She finished and clicked out of the application. She looked around. Everyone else was still working.

"Miss Chase." Annabeth looked to see the man staring at her, disapprovement in his eyes, "Did you not understand the questions?"

Annabeth frowned, confused.

"No." She said, "I understood them all. Sir."

The man looked disbelieving.

"No one has ever finished as quickly as you have." He shot back, "This test is supposed to take hours, not forty minutes."

Annabeth looked at the clock. The man was right - she had only taken forty minutes. That didn't matter though - she was smart, and when people insulted her intelligence...

"Well, sir, I do like to break boundaries." Annabeth replied shortly, attempting not to let her anger show, "That is what you do here, correct?"

Whoops.

The man gritted his teeth.

"If you are so confident that you succeeded," The man replied, "You may wait in the lobby, Miss Chase."

Annabeth stood and left the room. All of the other test-takers watched as the door slammed, leaving them in silence.

Annabeth walked to the nearest chair outside and slumped into it. She cursed herself for letting her emotions get the better of her. The man would probably choose someone else just because of her attitude. Annabeth was left to ponder her actions for a whole four and a half hour while the others finished. People slowly trickled out, murmuring to each other as they did so. Most of them looked at Annabeth, pointing and gossiping. Annabeth, used to gossip from Aphrodite's spawn - uh, they were just _awful_ \- simply lifted her chin and pretended it didn't get to her.

When the last person came out, sweaty and shaking, the man who was in charge of the interview told everyone to come back into the room. They did, and everyone sat down except the man.

"Only one of you will walk out of this room with the knowledge that you are worthy of working at Stark Industries." The man started, "The rest are failures. The computers have calculated your scores. The winner's name will be shown here in exactly thirty seconds, along with their percent score." He held up a tablet-type machine, "And, to the winner: keep in mind this does not mean that you will stay at Stark Industries as long as you wish. You can be fired at any time."

The man looked over the group. Annabeth stared at the tablet, anticipation thrumming within her.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

A name flashed on the screen, along with 100%. Fourteen people groaned and immediately started protesting.

Annabeth grinned.

The man looked shocked.

Annabeth's grin turned into a sound of relief and excitement.

She was an intern at the Stark Industries.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: **This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!

**AN: **A reviewer has brought to our attention that Chapter One of our fan fiction is a lot like the fan fiction _Heroes Assemble_. We assure you that we are not attempting to copy anybody else's work. I (shadowphoenix55) take responsibility for the title of the restaurant being the Marauders Den. I did not recognize _Heroes Assemble_ at all, at first, but I looked up the fanfiction after I saw the review. I now remember reading _Heroes Assemble_ a while ago. I must have thought of the name and not realized it was from another fan fiction. I have already fixed the first chapter. I am a strong believer that an author's work is their own, and I would never intentionally steal their ideas. As you all can see, the rest of the chapters progress quite differently from Heroes Assemble - content from Percy Jackson is included, for one. I would like to thank the reviewer, Derpeon, for bringing this to our attention. If anybody sees a similarity to another fanfiction, please let us know. Thank you, and sorry for the long author's note.

**Chapter 4**

**dearemmahansen**

Fury was annoyed.

First- his eyepatch got blown off during an unfortunate accident involving a weed whacker while walking to his car. His poor neighbor had gotten a decent glimpse of Fury's eye socket before the director had quickly pulled the patch back on and embarrassed, slid into his car and sped away.

Second- Natasha Romanoff was not answering his calls. He had tasked her with passing a message to Agent Barton in person three days ago, and he had not heard from her since. He wasn't worried, for it was super assassin Black Widow in question, but still. He liked to have tabs on all of his agents at once, and became easily miffed when things didn't go his way.

Now, Phil Coulson was telling him that Steve Rogers, _Captain America_, was hiding from everyone. Like a petulant child. Coulson seemed in distress as he relayed this information to Fury, but Fury was just angered. Steve Rogers was trying to hide from the reality of the twenty first century, and Fury wasn't having it. Captain America needed to grow up.

"Leave him be," Fury said to Coulson as he crossed through the base, examining the different monitors of the workers around him. "He'll come out when he learns to deal with the world."

"Sir," Coulson said carefully, "I do believe that maybe someone could show him the ropes of this modern world? Then he could be more comfortable-"

"He's not a baby, Agent," Fury said coolly. "So I suggest that you drop it."

Coulson nodded slowly. "Y-yes, Director."

Fury sighed and walked away from him, temples throbbing. He was _supposed _to be the director for the country's most important intelligence operation, but right now it felt like he was a babysitter for a bunch of super maintenance children.

"Sir-"

"Not _now, _Coulson!" Fury snapped without looking at the person behind him.

The person paused. "Sir, it's not Coulson."

Fury turned around to look at Maria Hill, an electronic clipboard in hand and a slightly anxious expression on her face.

"Oh. Hill." Fury ran a hand over his face with a sigh. "Sorry about that. Coulson's just been too much this morning for my taste."

"Sorry about that Sir," Hill said, checking something on her clipboard with her fingertips. "We've been getting some strange signals and reports from Manhattan."

"Oh?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do tell me more."

"We've gotten reports of a minor celebrity of sorts," Hill said, pulling up a picture of a young man to show Fury.

He examined the image. Scruffy black hair, blue eyes, glasses - "I've never heard of him."

"Because he's not _our _celebrity," Hill said furtively. "We think he may be, well…. Not quite human."

"Hold up," Fury said, putting up a finger. "What do you mean not our celebrity?"

"He's British-"

"Ah," Fury said understandingly.

"That's not what I meant," Hill continued. "He's big in a different community that's been seen his new restaurant." She pulls up a new image, a building with a survive sign and bursting to the brim with customers. "'_The Traveller's Inn'_. A new homely cuisine that was made mostly for students."

"Why are we looking in a restaurant?" Fury complained.

"Because-" Hill zoomed in on a customer. He was holding a stick in the air- and it was pointed at a platter that was hovering in the air.

"What the hell is that?"

"We don't know," Hill said. "This is the only image we've found of this sort of thing - other than one of the restaurant owner having a similar stick in his back pocket. We've only gotten word of this because the government has been so wary of people moving into the country."

Fury narrowed his eyes. "I want to know everything about this man. His name, his age, what cereal he likes in the mornings. And bring him in."

Hill cleared her throat. "Well I can tell you now that his name is Harry Potter, and he's thirty one."

Fury scoffed. "Excuse me? That boy doesn't look a day over eighteen."

Hill shrugged. "That's what his papers say."

Fury narrowed his eyes. "I want to talk to this Harry Potter on my lunch break."

Hill scrambled once more on her clipboard. "Actually, there might be another person who you'll want joining your lunch."

"Who?"

Hill pulled up a video this time of a boy underwater at a public pool. It's dark, nighttime assumedly, and yet the boy is visible just sitting on the bottom of the pool.

"I don't get it," Fury said. "Kids can swim."

"This video was taken after hours," Hill said. "Pool was already closed to the public."

"So there's a delinquent," Fury continued. "What else is new?"

"It was taken by the security guard," Hill pressed on, "Who almost called 911 while filming this."

"Why would he call…." Fury looked closer. "Has that kid not moved in a minute?"

Hill shook her head. "By this time, drowning would show struggling."

"But…"

"He's not moving."

Fury looked at her. "When does he come up?"

"After thirteen minutes." Hill fast-forwarded the video to the boy casually swimming up to break the surface- without gasping for air. He pushed gracefully out of the pool and grabbed a shirt, slipping it over his head.

"He's dry!" Fury spluttered. "How is he dry?!"

Hill shrugged as they watched the boy leave the pool.

"I want the same info," Fury demanded, "and another talk."

"His name is Percy Jackson," Hill continued. "He's sixteen years old."

"Is he a _celebrity _too?"

"No, but you might like this." Fury looked at her. "His girlfriend is an intern at Stark Industries. She got the highest score taking their test there - something that should be impossible."

Fury snarled. "You go look into that Potter guy. And get Barton on the phone. He might have an idea or two."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: Thank you to all of the reviewers! We appreciate your support.**

**To the reviewers who asked questions:**

**To Gilgamesh The King of Heroes: **This story will be mostly focused on the MCU plotline, with characters from other books thrown in. This means that Thor may speak of Hercules, but they will very likely never meet in our story.

**To Guest: **This story has the pairing Percabeth, so Percy and Harry is out of the question. They'll have a bromance, but that's it. As with Harry with Peter, we doubt that will happen. Harry is technically around ten years older than Peter. Even though is body is of an eighteen-year-old, I don't think Harry would feel like it is morally good to date Peter.

**This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter Five**

**shadowphoenix55**

Harry smiled as he turned the sign on the door to OPEN for the thirty-first time. He had opened his restaurant doubled-as-a study area one month ago, and everything had been going relatively smoothly. The students loved the place, so it quickly became popular amongst them. That meant that the rush hour in _The Traveler's Inn _was at about four - a half an hour after most schools ended. Students came to study, hang out, and have fun.

Harry was usually very good at keeping wizards and witches from using magic in his restaurant, but there had been one incident a few days previous where one had came in and cast a spell. America's aurors appeared seconds later, popping in, grabbing the wizard, and obliviating the whole room. Harry, thankfully, knew how to not be affected by weak, ranged obliviates, so he could remember what happened. That was why, when the shop closed hours later, Harry put up a ward on the door that would alert him as to when wizards or witches went through it and wouldn't allow them through unless they had Harry's permission.

No one got through the door, that night, - but Harry got a letter from America's Ministry - MACUSA. He read through it all and laughed.

Apparently, the American ministry didn't recognize his household as magical, so his casting on his door alerted them to possible magic by muggles. The letter informed him that American aurors from before had apparently came, attempted to go through the door to investigate, but failed to be able to do so.

Harry sent back a letter that informed the ministry that he was a magical and therefore his house should be recognized as a magical one, the magic he cast wasn't seen by any muggles, because there weren't any in his house at midnight when everyone was supposed to be sleeping, and the American aurors had no right to barge in without permission, so that was why they were kept out.

MACUSA didn't bother him after that.

Four days later, Harry was ready for anything as he turned that sign.

So he thought.

The day started off normally, a few procrastinating students stumbling in and grabbing the nearest book off the shelf. Harry tried to be kind to them, but he really disliked procrastinators, even if he was one himself.

After the procrastinators left to get to school, a few people came in for breakfast. Harry happily served them, hoping to get more customers from the older end of the spectrum. Lunch was about the same crowd size as breakfast, as always. The last late-lunch eater straggled out at three fifteen, giving Harry just enough time to reset before the herd of teenagers came through the door.

Harry was very busy, and when Harry was very busy, he didn't pay attention as much. So that's why he nearly missed the magic aura around two kids.

It was a boy with black hair and sea green eyes just like Harry's glamor and a girl with blond hair and stormy gray eyes. The boy seemed to be struggling over his homework while the girl, who was probably his girlfriend, helped and critiqued him.

At first glance, there wasn't a single thing wrong with the two of them.

Harry was asking for their orders when he paused. There was a strange aura coming off of both of them. A bit like magic, but with some other flare… the boy's aura also felt a bit different from the girl's, somehow. The boy's felt like a powerful surge at times, but not always, while the girls' was quiet, and hard to pick up on. But it was always there, mysterious and waiting.

Harry wondered why his door didn't pick it up, but figured it was probably because of the different auras.

"-Excuse me? Mr. Peverell?" The boy asked.

Peverell was the fake name Harry had been using to go undercover, so he was used to being called it by now. But not too used to it.

Harry snapped out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, I must have gotten lost in thought." Harry covered, "And please, call me Harry. Mr. Peverell is too formal."

The boy relaxed.

"Oh cool." He said, "that was so weird. You're only like, twenty one, right?"

Harry smiled.

"Something like that."

The truth was, being the Master of Death, Harry's body hadn't aged since he turned 18. He had lived for thirty one years, but his mind and body just stayed in their peak conditions. Harry figured Hermione would say something about his mind being in its early twenties, because that was the peak condition, but Harry honestly didn't care for all of the maths.

"Anyways, what can I get for you?" Harry asked.

"A blue coke, please." The boy replied immediately. Harry raised an eyebrow, "Er- you can do that here, right?"

Harry winked.

"We can do _anything _here." He said in a joking manner. Percy laughed.

If only he knew the truth.

But maybe he did.

"Lemonade for me." Annabeth informed him, "Thank you."

Harry kept an eye on the two until they left. Their names were Percy and Annabeth. They were 16. When Harry brought out a blue coke, both Percy and Annabeth looked shocked. Other than the blue coke, they did nothing out of the ordinary. They seemed like normal teenagers. They were actually pretty funny - Percy was more comical, while Annabeth was more witty. Harry found himself liking them more and more - sometimes just stopping by their table to say hi. He told himself that it was just to check on the magic-users, but he couldn't lie to himself.

"Thank you for coming!" Harry said as he handed the two their check. As all newcomers did, they gaped at the figure at the bottom.

"Only…" Annabeth said.

"I don't do it for the money." Harry informed them, and Percy and Annabeth looked even more shocked. Harry chuckled.

When they'd handed over the small amount Harry asked for in return, Harry couldn't resist one last parting shot.

"Goodbye!" He told them, "Oh, and Percy - do try not to get food on my book again."

Percy's eyes widened.

"How-" He said.

Harry winked.

"I have eyes on the back of my head." He replied. For some reason, that didn't go over quite as planned - both Percy's and Annabeth's gazes flicked to the back of Harry's head as if to check if he really had eyes there.

"Uh - bye!" Harry said after a moment of silence, and the two left.

Harry wondered what in the world was up with the two of them.

Oh, if only he knew.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: ** I, dearemmahansen, will be publishing on FRIDAYS. My partner, shadowphoenix55, will be publishing on WEDNESDAYS. Thanks! **This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter Six**

By dearemmahansen

Percy kicked an empty soda can on the sidewalk. "That was weird."

"How did he make the coke blue?" Annabeth mumbled, lost in thought. "He's clearly not a mortal."

"Well, no duh," Percy said. "A demigod?"

"Of illusions? Or seeing?" Annabeth shook her head helplessly, "I have no idea."

"We could ask him?" Percy suggested.

Annabeth shot him a look. "Sure. 'Hey, Mr. Restaurant Owner, are you a child of a greek god?'"

Percy bit his lip. "Well, when you put it that way…."

"Or what if he's a monster?" Annabeth wondered aloud, eyes widening, "A monster with _eyes on the back of his head_?"

"Is that a real monster?" Percy asked.

"I…. There's Argus, of course, but he's one of the good guys… I can't think of any off the top of my head. And it's hard to identify him, because if he is a monster, he's definitely wearing a disguise."

"Anything else?" Percy prodded.

"I don't know!" Annabeth snapped at him, putting her head in her hands with a groan. "You know that it's very possible that I don't know every monster?"

Percy nodded quietly, thinking. "Maybe he's just a mortal?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said, almost as if she wanted to believe that. "Look, let's just… drop it, okay? It's probably nothing."

Percy nodded and took her hand with an apologetic smile, both of them attempting to put the strange restaurant owner out of their minds.

Fury paced the conference room, refusing to look at the three people sitting at the table. "Are you prepared?"

The man in question nodded, scoffing. "I'm picking up a teenager for a lunch trip over at SHIELD. How hard can it be?"

Fury stopped walking, turning to look at the man with a severe expression etched into his face. "This isn't funny, Barton. You've seen the video of the kid. He may resist coming with you." He put a mocking tone- "_It could be very hard_."

Barton scowled. "Why me? I'm not a babysitter."

"You are a father," Hill pointed out from her seat across from Barton, and his scowl deepened.

"And because Romanoff wasn't available, so you're my second go to," Fury snapped. "So you can stop arguing, Agent."

Barton stopped arguing.

"You have his residence," Fury continued, pointing to the papers in front of Barton, "As well as places he's frequently seen, his school, his background, his mother's information, his stepfather's information, and his girlfriend's information."

"Thorough," Barton remarked.

Hill almost smiled. Coulson did not.

"I want him here in headquarters in three hours," Fury said. "Not by force."

"Not by force?" Barton asked, crossing his arms. "Then how am I supposed to lure him here?"

"Don't use 'lure'," Hill said quietly.

"You're not a kidnapper!" Fury bellowed. "You're not _luring _a child into your white van! You are a government worker who is taking a suspicious individual to headquarters for questioning!"

Silence.

"Just go get Jackson," Fury said with a sigh.

Barton stood, saluted Fury, and reached for his bow.

"Don't," Fury said. "Government agent peacefully summoning a citizen. That doesn't require a bow, does it?"

Barton nodded, snatched the folder, and went to leave.

"Wait-" Fury said. "I said a bow, not a weapon." He tossed something to Barton- a bar, with an extendable blade. Barton nodded appreciatively before leaving.

Coulson and Hill looked at each other carefully, not wanting to speak first in the presence of a furious Fury.

"Get out," Fury said quietly. "I need to think."

The two agents had never left a room faster.

Percy couldn't feel anyone's eyes on him.

Well, Annabeth's didn't count, because he had some pretty serious eye contact going on with her. She was laughing almost carelessly, ice cream cone clutched in her hand.

"I didn't think I was that funny, Wise Girl," Percy quipped, grinning. She hit his arm playfully with a smile, almost knocking over his ice cream. "Watch it!"

"Careful, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said with a grin.

Percy happily continued to eat his ice cream, sneaking small glances at his girlfriend, who had a happy expression on her face as she looked across the river.

"How's the internship?" Percy asked.

"It's amazing!" Annabeth exclaimed, turning to him.

"What have you done so far?"

"Well-"

"Excuse me, kids." A strange voice said from above them. Percy looked up to make eye contact with a man in a black jacket and sunglasses.

"Hi?" Percy said, confused. "Can we help you?" Annabeth's hand instinctively went to her hip, searching for her knife, while Percy reached down to his pocket and gripped Riptide.

"I'm Agent Barton," the man said, flipping open a badge. "I need you to come with me, Percy Jackson."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN:** **This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter Seven **

By dearemmahansen

Annabeth stood up, frowning. "I'm sorry, what?"

The man straightened, which was kind of ridiculous- he was already taller than her. "I need your friend to come with me for a moment."

Annabeth's mind lit on fire. "No."

Percy stood, putting a hand on her arm. "Annabeth, it's okay." She frowned as he looked the man, Agent Barton, in the eye, taller than the agent in question. "Why?"

"You've been brought up by a citizen as a suspicious individual. A special director would like to speak to you."

Percy shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not coming with you."

Agent Barton frowned. "It's not a question."

"Look man," Percy continued, his hand moving out of his pocket- _Riptide. _"Don't, okay? I'm having a nice day with my girlfriend, so could you please leave us alone?"

Agent Barton sighed. "No can do, kid." His hand rested on something on his hip. "It's required."

Percy groaned, and Annabeth could see his mind conflicted. This guy didn't give off any monster vibes, and Percy was very much against fighting mortals.

Annabeth was on the other end of the spectrum. Agent Barton was reaching for a weapon, and if he was resorting to violence, she was going to have to as well. She didn't know why the government wanted Percy, but it obviously was something to do with his powers. She didn't know how, but clearly they'd slipped up… the Mist hadn't hidden them well enough…

"We need you to leave us alone," Annabeth said clearly.

Agent Barton sighed. They were clearly annoying him, but Annabeth wasn't just going to let him take Percy with no real explanation. "Again, can't. So, Mr. Jackson, if you could please walk with me?"

The man walked here? A government agent _walked _to pick up a subject of questioning? No, this wasn't normal. Annabeth reached over to grab Percy's hand- a quick message. _We need to get out of here_.

Percy pushed in his chair and squeezed Annabeth's hand back, understanding what she was thinking. "I don't think you understand. You need to leave."

"Is that a threat, Mr. Jackson?" The man asked. "Because if so, I must remind you that I work for the government and it's a very serious offense to threaten a government agent."

Percy frowned, but Annabeth was positively livid. "Maybe it is a threat," she spat. This man was _agonizing._ She wasn't totally informed on the workings of the government, if anyone truly was, but she had a pretty good feeling that people should be allowed to refuse summonings, especially if there was no clear reasoning behind being called in.

Agent Barton looked furious. "I need you to leave me alone, kid."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes and her hand wrapped around the hilt of her dagger, letting go of Percy's hand. _Now._

Percy looked across the street, to where the Hudson River flowed. She really hoped he wasn't going to do anything with the river- that would be foolish. But she looked down, and saw that the water from their cups were rising from the glasses, forming a large bubble of water that was floating in the air in front of Barton. Barton looked confused for a moment- he was a mortal. A mortal seeing through the Mist. But he quickly realized what Percy was doing, almost looking tired as he stared at Percy. "Please refrain from using any-"

"I'll _refrain_ when you leave me and my girlfriend alone."

Agent Barton pulling something from his waistband… a nightstick? Whatever it was, it was long, pipe shaped, and definitely looked like it could do some damage. Seeing this, Annabeth whipped out her knife, pointing it at Barton's hand. "Drop the weapon."

"You too, young lady," Barton hissed.

Annabeth took a step around the table, still pointing the dagger at Barton. "Leave us alone, before something goes seriously wrong."

"You should be smarter than this," Barton warned. "You're not just some normal teenager with a weapon."

Annabeth had grown up hearing that phrase. _You should be smarter than this_. Hearing it again lit her on fire, her vision turning red."Get away from us, please."

Agent Barton snapped his wrist, the nightstick doubling in length. "Don't-"

Annabeth snarled, her hand twitching around her knife, but she couldn't act. Percy snapped. The large bubble of water smashed on top of Barton's head, dousing the guy and leaving him spluttering.

"How-how did you-" the agent gasped, shaking the water from his face.

"Don't talk to her like that," Percy snapped.

"Percy," Annabeth warned, looking at the faces of the passerby. They hadn't quite noticed, but she could tell by some of the civilian's faces that they could tell that something fishy was going on.

Percy wasn't listening to her. He was advancing on Agent Barton, a small storm forming above his head as lightning flashed. He was summoning another hurricane. Barton watched him, less impressed than she'd expected. Just tired and annoyed.

"Percy, don't do anything stupid!" Annabeth exclaimed, lunging towards her boyfriend. He paused from moving any closer, looking at her with confusion.

Barton was stumbling back, apparently assuming that his nightstick would be pointless against the storm cloud. "I'm not trying to anger you, my boss needs you. That's it!"

Annabeth could tell he was honest, but she didn't want him taking Percy anywhere. Not being who they were. Plus, with Percy's impulses, who knows what he might end up saying that could get him hurt.

Percy pushed closer to the Agent, the cloud growing larger. "You're not taking me anywhere."

The water in the Hudson was growing agitated, responding to Percy's emotions. Barton looked very annoyed by this sixteen year old pushing him around, and he reached to shove Percy's shoulder.

Annabeth saw the flash of anger in his eyes, and knew what was coming. "Percy, NO-"

_SPLASH!_

"Oh my gods," Annabeth whispered.

Percy turned to her eyes wide. "I did the Moana thing."

The water from the Hudson had reached up and grabbed Barton, tugging him down into the river. Annabeth cut across the street, pushing through mortals that looked stunned. She didn't even want to imagine what they thought they saw.

She peered over the barrier between the street and the river, and sure enough, there was Agent Barton spitting dirty water from his mouth and treading water.

Annabeth turned to a stunned Percy, who looked like he knew what she was going to say before she said it.

"We need to go."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter Eight **

**By shadowphoenix55**

"They got away."

Agent Coulson had the control to not show his fear as Nick Fury paced the room.

"How did they get away?" Fury asked, "Barton is one of our top agents."

"With all respect, I don't have magical powers." Came another voice, and Clint Barton walked in, "The boy can do… things with water."

"And who gave you clearance to barge in?" Fury asked.

"I did." Fury spun to see yet another person enter the room - Maria Hill, "And it appears Percy Jackson is not the only one with 'magical powers'."

Hill pulled up some footage.

"This is from Barton's camera." She said.

_The water from the Hudson had reached up and grabbed Barton, tugging him down into the river. The girl - Annabeth - cut across the street, pushing through people that looked stunned._

_She peered over the barrier between the street and the river, and sure enough, there was Agent Barton spitting dirty water from his mouth and treading water._

"So he can manipulate water." Fury deduced.

"And can hold his breath in it for an abnormally long amount of time." Hill added, "That's all we know about his powers. We've pulled up a couple files on his backstory, though. His mother's name is Sally Jackson, and his father is unknown. Sally Jackson married a man named Gabe Ugliano when Percy was three. Percy dropped out of quite a few schools for his ADHD, dyslexia, and anger management problems. He disappeared from all records a few years ago - no school, no hospital, no travel, nothing. His mother married Paul Bolfis during that time."

"And what about the girl?"

"Annabeth Chase. Father is Frederick Chase. Mother is - again - unknown. When Chase was five when her father remarried and had two more kids. Chase, like Jackson, has ADHD and dyslexia. Her school records show that she is abnormally smart, even despite her mental disabilities. She ran away from home when she was seven and has no records since then."

"These stories are sounding very similar." Fury muttered.

"The last one is as well. They say his name is Harry Prevell."

"They _say_?" Fury asked, "We should be beyond _they say_, Hill."

"Well, this Harry Perevell has been traveling the globe since he was eighteen - each trip with a slightly different face, each trip with a different name. Prevell, Williams, Bones, Smith, Granger, Brown, Black - the list goes on. His first name is always Harry, though."

"Just Harry?" Fury asked, surprised.

"Just Harry." Hill confirmed, "He's been to almost everywhere on the globe - except for Britain."

"He's avoiding it. Why?"

"We don't know." Hill said, "But I looked up all of the Harrys in Britain. A few of them match - but one does more than others."

Hill pulled up a picture.

"Harry James Potter was rumored to be found on his aunt and uncle's doorstep when he was one. We have no record of his parents except for pictures and some information on one when she was young. James and Lily Potter were their names. There is a rumor that they died in a car crash when Potter was young, but there is no proof. Other than that - nothing."

"Petunia and Vernon Dursley took Harry Potter in until he was seventeen, when they moved for an unclear reason. During that time, Potter had no hospital records, no travel records - nothing except for school records. Only grades, however, not pictures. We have no pictures of Harry Potter. In school, he did averagely academically. His school records only last until Potter is eleven, however. Then he has no records until he is eighteen. Until Potter was seventeen, there were sightings of him near his relative's home, but only in the summer. After that, nothing for almost two years."

"So he's a ghost story."

Hill nodded.

"Until now." She said, "For some reason, he decided to move to New York - the first place he's settled since childhood."

"Why?"

Hill shifted.

"It seems like a coincidence, sir."

Fury paused, staring directly at Hill, and then doing the same for Barton.

"If there's anything I've learned," He said, "It's that nothing is a coincidence. Especially three of the people on the our Wanted list are in New York at the same time - and all are planning to stay."

"Well, sir, I may have an answer for that." Hill started, "People like Potter's restaurant, especially students, and quite a few have been posting videos. One of which featured all three of them together."

Fury sucked in a breath.

"If they're in cahoots…" He started.

"It could be worse than we thought." Hill replied, "It will certainly be harder to catch them."

Hill pulled up the moment where Harry Potter, Annabeth Chase, and Percy Jackson were all caught on camera together. It appeared that Potter was asking for their orders - nothing overly suspicious, but the fact that they were seen together, even caught on camera together, made suspicion rise within Fury.

"They may be working together." Fury deduced, "But they may not be. For now, we will continue attempting to capture them separately. Keep an eye out for any other information that would suggest, prove, or disprove that they are working together. Barton, watch your two targets, but lay low. Lull them into thinking that they're safe."

Barton nodded, and, receiving the dismissal, left.

"Hill." Fury said, and the woman snapped to attention, "I want you to try to capture Potter."

Hill's face morphed into one of confusion.

"Me, sir?" She asked, "But Romanoff -"

"Is now on another mission." Fury interrupted, "I want you on this one."

"If Barton can't capture them, how can I?" Hill asked, "I'm not a strong fighter, Fury."

"Not there." Fury replied, gesturing over her body, "But here."

He tapped his finger on her head.

Hill's eyes widened.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter Nine**

**By shadowphoenix55**

When a averaged-aged adult came into his restaurant in the middle of his rush hour, Harry was immediately suspicious. Harry looked her over from the side of his eye. Brown hair, brown eyes, perhaps on the younger side of the adults. She looked around at the rukus with wide eyes before taking a seat farthest away from the main group of teenagers.

Harry released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She was a newcomer, that's why she came in at the oddest of times. Harry finished delivering some food before walking over to her.

"Hello, Miss…"

The woman's eyes snapped to Harry's. Harry looked away, for he recognized something in those eyes - something he saw every time he looked in the mirror.

Those eyes were the eyes of a fighter.

"Natalie Brown." The woman said.

Brown.

He'd called himself Brown, once.

Harry's instincts were telling him to _fight or run, fight or flight_, _fight_.

Something was up.

Or was it?

"Here is our menu, Miss Brown." Harry said, passing her the menu and forcing himself to stay calm. He made sure that their hands didn't touch - he didn't want her placing one of those muggle trackers on him, or something.

"What should I call you?" The woman asked.

What odd phrasing.

Unless it wasn't odd.

"Harry Peverell."

Hill nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Harry."

Harry.

Not Peverell.

"Nice to meet you as well." Harry replied with a smile that hid his doubts, before turning away. He walked over to the next table, forcing himself to calm down. Maybe it was nothing - just his Mad-Eye Moody level paranoia blowing things out of proportion.

Maybe.

"Percy." Annabeth hissed, "Look over there. At the woman in the corner."

Percy turned his head.

"Not like that, idiot!" Annabeth hissed exasperatedly, "Discreetly."

Percy made a show of looking at the woman out of the corner of his eye. She was average; brown hair, brown eyes, slim.

"So?" Percy whispered.

Annabeth had that I'm-going-to-kill-you look in her eyes. Percy gulped.

"Her badge." Annabeth whispered sharply. Percy looked again. The woman was indeed wearing a badge - one with a sort of eagle on it. Percy recognized it from somewhere, but he wasn't quite sure…

"The man who we fought with." Annabeth whispered, and suddenly, Percy knew, "He had the same one."

Percy sat up a bit straighter.

"What do we do?" He whispered.

"If we leave, she'll just follow us." Annabeth said, "It's harder to make a scene here, where everyone's watching."

"So…" Percy whispered, "We just wait for everyone to leave and _then _she attacks us?"

Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed - a sign that she was thinking. Percy waited for what seemed like forever, before -

"Why don't we just ask Harry to close down the shop? Then she'll have to leave, or she'll make a scene and probably be caught."

Both Annabeth and Percy looked shocked.

"Did I…" Percy said, "Did I just say that?"

Annabeth nodded.

"That idea…" She said, "It's not bad."

Percy was doing an internal happy dance.

"But."

Well, there was always one of those.

"If he's a monster…" Annabeth whispered.

Percy looked at Harry. He was cheerfully taking orders from a couple of teenagers. He said something,m and they all laughed.

"Annabeth…" Percy said, "What if Harry isn't a monster?"

"He _has _to be." Annabeth replied, "Blue coke?"

"Maybe he had dye."

"It was still in a can."

"So he bought it that way."

"How does he run a restaurant solo?"

"He doesn't - he probably has chefs back there."

"His comment at the end?"

"People say that all the time."

"What about the way he looked at us?" Annabeth asked, going for the blow Percy couldn't dodge, "Like he _knew_?"

Percy thought back.

"I don't think he did." Percy replied, "I think he was a bit suspicious of something, yes, but I don't think he knew we were d - you know. And we've been here a couple of times now. He's been nothing but kind. And if he was a monster, he would have gone after us."

Annabeth blinked.

"When did you get so smart?"

Annabeth and Percy kept looking at him.

"Can I help you?" Harry asked, walking over to their table, still on guard. The woman was still there in the corner.

Harry caught their eyes. There was… furiosity in them. They had also been fighters - but a different type than the woman who called herself Natalie Brown.

"Close down the shop." Annabeth whispered intensely. Harry blinked, before glancing again at the woman in the corner. Annabeth and Percy both looked at her as well.

They knew something.

"Stay here." Harry said. He walked into the kitchen, going out of sight. He tapped his throat with his wand, casting an under-powered _Sonorous_, before walking back out into the room. Everyone was still there.

"Attention!" Harry called. Everyone quieted down, "The shop is closing for the rest of today due to a problem in the kitchen. Please make your way out now."

There was a chorus of groans.

"All food eaten by the people here today, however, is free. You do not need to pay."

There was a chorus of cheers.

The people started to make their way out.

... . / -.- -. - .- ...

Harry sat down with a sigh. Annabeth and Percy had escaped after he'd ushered everybody out and closed the door. He's been so distracted that he hadn't noticed them escape out of the window.

Did they not trust him, or were they hiding something?

It was probably both, to be honest.

Harry wasn't left to ponder the Percy and Annabeth situation for long. At least, it seemed that way. A few hours later, when it was dark, Harry spotted a flash of black in the window. Harry whipped around, Auror instincts blaring at one hundred and twelve percent. He grabbed his wand from his pocket and approached the closed window.

"Homenum revelio." Harry whispered.

Someone was standing outside by the wall right next to the window.

_Natalie Brown._

Harry crept towards the door, careful to stay out of sight from the window. He quietly snuck out, making sure to lock it behind him. He made his way to the corner of the house and looked to where the window was.

Nothing. Harry crept forward, swiveling his head like an owl and gripping his wand so tightly that his knuckles were white - not that he could tell in the darkness. Harry dearly wished he'd asked Hermione for that new see-in-the-dark spell she'd invented.

_Where are you, Natalie Brown?_

Harry was about to use the point me spell when there was a crunch. Harry's head shot up, and he quickly but quietly made his way to where the sound was. He spotted a black shoe disappear around the other corner of the restaurant.

Harry listened for a few seconds.

Nothing.

"Point me to Natalie Brown." Harry whispered. Nope. He didn't think that was going to work, but it was worth a shot.

_Crunch._

This time, it was from behind him. Harry whirled around, but there was nothing there except for a flash of black.

But that was all Harry needed.

"No more hiding." Harry said, and he leaped. Missing the woman by inches, he quickly rolled to his feet.

Having dodged, his stalker was now ten feet away.

"Just Harry." The woman said. Harry glared at his words coming out of her mouth.

"You have ten seconds to get off my property and out of my life." Harry replied.

The woman smirked.

"Not happening." She replied, "You're a Level Nine - almost Level Ten, if I get enough evidence. Mr. Potter."

Harry flinched.

His whole false life, his whole peace… it was about to go down the drain. Maybe it already had.

"I'm afraid that I'll be Level Not On the List after this." Harry said, drawing his wand. The woman's eyes focused on it.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me." She said calmly, "With whatever abilities you have… others have already seen our conversation."

She tapped the side of her head. Harry's vision zeroed in on it.

A camera.

No no no no no -

Harry put his wand away. Obliviates would come later - after that camera was long gone.

The woman had already moved, however. Her gun was out and feet from his face.

_BANG._

Harry opened his eyes to find that his shield was up, even though he wasn't touching his wand. Harry didn't think it was even possible to stop a bullet with _Protego_ \- stopping it wandlessly was an even bigger feat. But Harry had no time to dwell on it. Both the woman and her camera had seen.

Oh, there would be consequences. MASUSA would kill him - of course, they would have to beat Hermione to it.

Harry dove at the woman, knocking the gun out of her hands but not getting to her fast enough. The woman moved out of the way just in time.

Harry found himself inches away from the woman's face.

Now, Harry didn't like using Legilimency. He honestly wasn't very good at it, anyways. But if there was ever a time to do it, it now was that time.

Harry stared deep into the woman's eyes.

_Level Nine_

"And Hill?" Said a man with an eyepatch, "He's a Level Nine. They all are."

"A Level Nine, sir?"

"Soon to be Level Ten, if what I think is happening is happening."

_Banner_

The man with the eyepatch again.

"Banner's our only Level Ten. But things are changing. We are going to need more forces, and fast."

_Avengers_

"I call them the Avengers."

_Just Harry _

"Peverell, Williams, Bones, Smith, Granger, Brown, Black - the list goes on. His first name is always Harry, though."

"Just Harry?" Eyepatch asked, surprised.

"Just Harry."

_Barton_

"How did they get away?" Eyepatch asked, "Barton is one of our top agents."

"With all respect, I don't have ma-" Came a new, unseen voice.

_Jackson_

"Percy dropped out of quite a few schools for his ADHD, dyslexia, and anger management problems. He disappeared from all records a few years ago - no school, no hospital, no travel, nothing."

_Romanoff_

"But Romanoff -"

"Is now on another mission." Eyepatch interrupted, "I want you on this one."

"If Barton can't capture them, how can I?" The woman - Hill - asked, "I'm not a strong fighter, Fury."

"Not there." Fury replied, gesturing over her body, "But here."

He tapped his finger on her head.

_Chase_

"She ran away from home when she was seven and has no records since then."

_Fury_

"The idea is to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they can become something more. See if they can work together when we need them to fight the battles we can't."

_SHIELD _-

This time, there were flashes of images. Fury, Barton, Romanoff, black suits, the logo he'd seen on her, another logo - some type of multi-headed creature - himself, Percy, Annabeth -

Harry pulled out of her head.

That was enough.

Harry grabbed the side of her head and yanked the camera away, crushing it with his fingers. He looked to make sure it was crushed.

When he looked back, Maria Hill was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter Ten**

**By shadowphoenix55**

_We need to keep our eyes open. Constantly. _Annabeth had had a look of intensity on her face that had frightened Percy. _Trust no one with anything, Percy._

Well, seven hours later, Percy was debating on what degree of trust was allowed between people. Could he trust this barista in knowing his addiction to venti vanilla bean frappuccinos? That was some pretty secretive information. Even Annabeth didn't know it.

He decided to go for it, and ordered that frappucino. Sitting at the small table in the Starbucks down the street from his mom's home and looking out the window, Percy's mind wandered to the fight with their stalker. He was reliving his Moana moment when he spotted a rather buff guy wandering around outside.

He was very tall, for starters. It looked like he had giant muscles everywhere. He was wearing a T-shirt, jeans, a baseball cap, and sunglasses. Something about the guy drew Percy's attention. He looked pretty lost, frowning as people passed him on the street.

Percy got up from his seat and was out of the door before another thought could pass through his head. He was standing outside, by the door when he remembered Annabeth's words. Could he trust a stranger who looked completely lost? Annabeth would have shouted him down with a no, he's faking, but Percy's instincts were shouting at him to go to the guy. Also, it wasn't like he was going to give away any information - he was just going to help him get to wherever he was going.

"Hey, dude, what's up?" Percy asked. The man turned, looking confused, "Yeah, you. In the sunglasses." Percy walked towards him, taking a sip from his venti vanilla bean frappuccino, "You look a little lost."

The guy looked a bit embarrassed.

"I am." He replied, "The city is very big."

"Where were you going?" Percy asked.

"I was told to explore." The man replied, "See the sights of New York. I went to the, um, Empire State Building. The view from the top is incredible."

It hit Percy like a three-ton truck. This guy could be a demigod - that would make the whole super-strong thing make sense.

"To the six hundredth floor?" Percy asked nonchalantly.

"Er- I think there's only one hundred and two floors." The guy replied, "I went to the one where you could go outside and… see the whole city."

He looked mystified at that.

Nope. Not a demigod. Just a super, super fit mortal.

"So, have you gone to any good restaurants yet?" Percy asked, "It's almost lunch."

"No, I have not." The man replied.

"Well, _the_ _Traveller's Inn _is the best we've got-" Percy started, before remembering Annabeth had forbidden it.

The man perked up at the name.

"Really?" He asked, "Will you show me the way?"

Well… Percy really missed that food and that blue coke… and he could wear a disguise… and… what Annabeth didn't know couldn't hurt her.

"Sure." Percy replied, "But first, let's make a stop somewhere else. Oh, and I'm -" Percy paused, "I'm Jason, by the way."

"You don't look like a Jason." The man replied, before widening his eyes, "Um- it's a nice name, though-"

Percy laughed.

"Not really." He replied. The man relaxed in relief.

"I'm Steve." Steve replied.

"Well, Steve, you look like you're avoiding being recognized." Percy commented.

Steve's stiffened.

"How did you-" He started.

"I was only about 50% sure." Percy interrupted, "But thanks for raising that to 100."

Steve sighed, looking defeated.

"Don't worry." Percy said, "I know because I've been there before. And, once I'm done with you, not even the people who know you closest will be able to tell who you are."

Steve has the sensibility to look frightened.

—-

"First is your outfit." Percy said, leading Steve into a shop, "With your tight shirt and skinny jeans, anybody who knows you will be able to tell. Percy tossed Steve a baggy outfit, "Here. Try this on."

Steve came out looking less muscular, so that was a plus. He still had his glasses on.

"You know, you do kind of look familiar…" Percy started, "Are you a celeb or something? Movie star, maybe?"

Steve looked uncomfortable from underneath his shades and cap.

"Er- I'd rather that you don't know." Steve replied, "People… treat me different, when they know."

Percy nodded solemnly. He knew exactly what Steve was talking about.

"Yeah, I get you, man." Percy replied, "Thanks for being honest with me."

That sentence was a painful reminder that Percy hadn't even trusted the guy with his name. But Annabeth's voice held him back - barely.

"So, onto the next thing." Percy said after a moment of awkward silence, leading Steve to a nearby shop, "Eye contacts."

Steve looked confused.

Percy lead him into the shop. He picked up the nearest contacts.

"Red." He said, "Definitely not. We want you to look real."

Next up was brown.

"Hazel or dark brown?" Percy asked.

"Um…" Steve said, still looking confused, "Hazel?"

Percy nodded.

"I'll go with that too." He said, tossing the dark brown back, "Now - hair. Red or black?"

"Red?" Steve squeaked out, looking very nervous for the strong guy he looked.

"It'll only last a week or so, don't worry." Percy commented, grabbing a can of red hair spray. They were making their way up to the counter when Percy spotted the fake earrings. He looked back and forth between Steve and the earrings twice, visualizing.

"Oh yeah, baby."

—-

Thirty minutes later, two redheads with hazel eyes and metallic earrings walked out of the shop. Percy glances over at Steve, who was alternating between tugging at his earring and running his hand through his hair.

"Hey, don't worry." Percy said softly, attempting to be understanding, "It can all come off right now, if you want. And it's a pretty sweet disguise - the lady at the counter didn't even recognize you, and she saw us buy the products."

Steve dropped his hand and looked a bit better.

"Yeah." He replied, and for some reason, the word sounded odd, as if he'd never used it before, "I am just not used to these… disguise products."

Percy rolled his eyes at the man's barely slanged speech. At least he was trying.

"Well, what I'm about to show you will make all of this hassle worth your while." Percy announced as they rounded the corner, "Steve - welcome to _the Traveller's Inn_."

—-

Percy was sure of his disguise. He'd even styled both of their hair differently, making two mini-mohawks. There was no way a guy Percy had met only a dozen or so times would recognize him. So, when Harry walked over to as for their order, Percy felt no regrets.

Harry stood in front of the two of them. His eyes flicked past Steve and landed on Percy.

"Hey, Jackson." Harry said, "Long time no see."

Percy's jaw hit the floor.

"New style?" Harry continued, but it was clear he knew it was no style, "Ah, where are my manners-" He continued, turning to Steve, "I'm Harry Peverell, the owner of this restaurant and bar."

"You have a bar?" Percy asked, shocked.

"Only for people of age." Harry replied dryly, not even looking at Percy. His attention was still focused on Steve.

"I'm Steve." Steve said, "I would just like to say that your restaurant here is very cozy."

Percy found himself nodding. For some reason, _the Traveller's Inn _gave off a homely, comforting, and safe vibe.

"Thank you." Harry replied, "Now, what would you like to drink?"

"Blue coke." Percy said immediately, ready for his favorite thing in the entire world - er, except for Annabeth, of course.

"I know that." Harry replied, "I was asking Steve."

Steve grinned at Percy.

"What do you recommend?" Steve asked. Harry gave Steve a once-over.

"Something with a kick, I think." Harry said, "And a little old-school… hm… I'll be right back."

Harry walked away. Percy frowned. Harry seemed as his normal self… but throughout the entire conversation, he had snuck glances over his shoulder, as if he thought someone was following him.

Percy knew that feeling. He'd been feeling it ever since the fight with the kidnapper-guy.

"He's…" Steve started, trailing off.

"Different?" Percy finished. Steve nodded, "Yeah, Harry does it his way, but you end up having the best drink of your life, so…"

Steve looked a bit skeptical.

"Hey, I didn't think blue coke existed before Harry came up with one." Percy said, "He's mysterious, but kind."

"It sounds like you two are friends." Steve replied knowingly.

"No!" Percy exclaimed, and Steve raised an eyebrow, "I mean, I don't really know him that well… I only have been going here for a little bit… we don't meet outside of the restaurant… and I haven't been here in awhile…"

"Well, you should think about it." Steve said wisely, "He seems like a good person - and you two seem to go together well."

Percy stared off into space. They would… but what Steve didn't know was that Harry might be a monster. And he would want to know why Percy and Annabeth knew the woman was a assassin-type thing.

Percy wondered why Harry hadn't asked him about that yet.

"Hello!" Came Harry's voice, breaking Percy out of his thoughts, "Here's your drinks!"

Percy looked at Steve's it was some type of beer…? Whiskey…? Percy didn't know, but apparently, Steve did. His eyes widened as he took his first sip.

"They said the brewing company was out of business!" Steve said. Harry gave one of his trademark smirks.

"I have my ways." Harry replied, as he did the first time Percy had tried his blue coke.

"Anything to eat?" Harry continued. Steve shook his head, seemingly lost in thought.

"Maybe later." Steve replied, staring down at his drink. Harry nodded understandingly and left.

Percy stared at Steve for a long moment. The man's gaze hadn't left his drink.

"You okay?" Percy asked.

Steve looked up.

"My friend." Steve said as if on an impulse, "This was the first drink I had with my friend."

"Oh." Percy replied, "So his name-"

"Bucky." Steve cut in, "His name was Bucky."

Percy caught the _was_.

"I'm sorry." Percy said. Steve nodded. The two sat in silence for a few seconds. Steve took another sip of his drink. And then another.

"How old are you, exactly-"

Steve gave him a look.

"I'd prefer it if no questions were asked." Steve said, his voice a bit commanding.

Percy paused.

"My name is Percy." An impulse, but it felt right. Steve looked at him with an inquisitive glance.

"No questions asked."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **We do not own the characters or concepts from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or MARVEL. Those rights go to JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, and MARVEL Studios respectively.

**AN: This story is co-written by shadowphoenix55. Read and review!**

**Chapter Eleven**

**By shadowphoenix55**

"Why can't I go to the meeting?" Annabeth asked for the hundredth time, "I'm the most qualified of the interns to provide the correct numbers -"

"Stark Industries will not allow a newbie intern, let alone a little girl, be the representation of the largest working force in the company." Kris responded, "Mr. Stark will be there, and if you get one number wrong, he'll personally fire you."

"I'm willing to take that chance." Annabeth commented hotly.

"Well I'm not." Kris shot back, "You will make us all look bad, Chase."

Annabeth huffed, turning away.

"Hoffman." She said as he was walking to the conference room, "The EBITDA is wrong. It should be 12 billion higher."

Annabeth watched as Kris looked down at the paper and cursed. He took out a pen and crossed it out.

"Some other numbers could be wrong, too." Annabeth continued slyly, "I haven't checked them."

She turned.

"Oh, and if they are wrong - I hope Stark doesn't-"

"Get over here, Chase." Kris said. Annabeth turned back, internally doing a happy dance, "And wipe that smirk off your face. You'll be in the corner, checking numbers."

Annabeth's smirk never left.

—-

An hour later, Annabeth wished she could facepalm. The group had been talking about how to sell clean, arc-reactor based energy to individuals for at least three hours. Individuals couldn't pay for their own arc reactors, but Stark Industries wouldn't be making a profit if they sold the arc reactors at a "reasonable" price.

Annabeth apparently wasn't the only one who was annoyed; Tony Stark was rolling his eyes at the ceiling while eating a hamburger. How he kept pulling hamburgers out of his pocket, Annabeth didn't know, but he seemed like he was more bored than he'd ever been. Annabeth has heard stories of his aloofness at meetings, but seeing it in person added a whole nother layer.

"You all have ten minutes before I leave." Stark interrupted, and the previously loud room went silent, "So, does anyone actually have an idea that gives us a profit while getting clean energy to individuals?"

Silence.

Annabeth's brain just went _seriously_? These were Tony Stark's "top workers"?

"Well, that's my cue to leave." Stark announced, standing up and turning around, "By-"

"Wait!" Annabeth said. As soon as the words left her mouth, Annabeth cursed her impulses, "Um-Mr. Stark. Why don't you just sell one large arc reactor to cities, and they can sell parts of the energy to smaller individuals?"

Silence. Tony Stark turned back. His eyes bored into Annabeth's.

"Who is she?" Stark asked someone to his left.

"Annabeth Chase, and she can talk for herself." Annabeth snipped. Oops, "Sir."

"Alright, Annabeth Chase, tell me how that would decrease the price for individuals. They would simply be charged the same amount-"

"Actually, the city would charge them a reasonable amount. Personalized arc reactors would generate a lot of extra energy that wouldn't ever be used. Having one reactor allows people to pay for just the right amount of energy."

"Where was she all this time?" Stark asked, but he sat back down, "So you have my attention. But there's one more thing that doesn't fit; there's no way we can create an arc reactor that would power New York City without it filling too much space."

"You're Tony Stark." Annabeth replied dryly, "You made an arc reactor in a cave. You can make a higher powered, more efficient reactor as long as you set your mind to it."

Stark looked a bit egotistic.

"Also, if you simply ejected more electrons from the core towards the rim, the voltage and current would increase, and the way to do that is by ionizing -" Annabeth started -

"Pd-103 with a more efficient electric arc." Annabeth and Tony finished at the same time. Stark gave her a long, surprised look. Annabeth waited impatiently, fidgeting.

"Alright." Stark finally said, speaking to the whole conference room, who had clearly been left behind by the conversation, "You all got that? We're going with the girl's idea." He directed his attention back to Annabeth, "You're an intern?"

Annabeth nodded.

"Well, we're going to fix that." He replied, "Follow me, Annabeth Chase."

—-

"How long have you been an intern here?" Stark asked as they took the elevator up.

"A month or two." Annabeth replied. Stark looked a bit surprised.

"How long have you been studying arc reactors?"

"Well, ever since you made one, I've been a bit curious, but I haven't had time to study them until a few months before I came here. I was juggling a couple other things, however, so I didn't have that much time -"

"So you became an expert in arc reactors in around four, five months." Stark said, cutting her off.

"Not an expert." Annabeth said, trying to be humble.

"Of course not." Stark replied, "Did I say that? Well, I'm the only expert around here."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Obviously, Stark saw it.

"And you're a teenager." Stark commented dryly, "Are you even old enough to be working here?"

"Are you even old enough to be asking that question?" Annabeth shot back. Stark stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, before letting out a chuckle.

"I guess not." Stark replied. The elevator opened.

"Welcome back, Mr. Stark." Came a British voice, "How was your meeting?"

"Awful." Stark replied to thin air, "But it ended on an interesting note."

"Ah." The voice replied, "I wondered why you brought Annabeth Chase up here."

"Hello." Annabeth said, the dots in her head connecting, "Are you JARVIS?"

The voice sounded pleased.

"Well, yes, I am." JARVIS replied.

"It's nice to meet you." Annabeth commented.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Chase." JARVIS replied, sounding even happier, "Would you like me to call you Miss Chase, or would you prefer something else?"

"Actually, could you call me Annabeth?" Annabeth asked, "Miss Chase makes me feel old. You call Mr. Stark that way because he's old, and I'm definitely not as old as him."

Stark made some sort of squawking noise in protest.

"You are right, Annabeth." JARVIS replied, "You are much younger than Mr. Stark - why, he's practically an old man himself."

More squawking.

"Would you like me to call you by something other than JARVIS?" Annabeth asked politely.

"Oh, you are too nice, Annabeth." JARVIS replied, "Unlike someone else I know." Annabeth wondered how JARVIS was programmed to have all of these humanistic responses, "But I rather like my name. Would you like a drink?"

"Lemonade would be great." Annabeth replied, "Thanks, JARVIS."

Sounds of movement came from the kitchen.

"JARVIS, call me Tony from now on." Stark commanded, obviously miffed.

"Of course, Mr. Stark." Annabeth snickered at JARVIS' comment, "Annabeth, your lemonade is ready in the kitchen."

"You are very efficient, JARVIS." Annabeth complimented. The room felt warmer, after that.

"Why, thank you, Annabeth." JARVIS replied.

"Alright, enough bonding with the intern!" Tony cut in, looking annoyed.

"I thought I wasn't an intern, anymore?" Annabeth asked slyly.

"You aren't, Annabeth." JARVIS interrupted, "Per Mr. Stark's request, you are now being paid for your services."

Stark grumbled something.

"What?" Annabeth asked innocently. Oh, messing with Stark was all too fun. For a second, she forgot that she was working with him.

"You have approximately ten seconds to get your lemonade and meet me at the table in the living room." He said, "Or you're fired."

Annabeth could tell he didn't really mean it.

"JARVIS would let me in, though." Annabeth replied confidently, "Right, JARVIS?"

"Of course, Annabeth."

Tony growled.

"Ten. Nine. Eight."

Annabeth ran off, smirking.

"Mr. Stark?" Came a voice. Both Annabeth and Tony looked up to see Pepper Potts standing there, papers in hand, "The governor wants a meeting tomorrow at-" Pepper paused as she spotted Annabeth and put on a disapproving face, "Who is this?"

"Not what you think it is." Tony cut in, "She's just a worker who is working with me on how to make the electric arc more efficient. Well, actually, she's more of here because she thought of the idea. I've done the work from there."

That was a lie. Annabeth Chase had contributed to the idea as much as Tony had, keeping up with his train of thoughts every step of the way. It was nice to speak with someone at his level, someone who had a mind as great as his. The girl had skill, Tony had to admit. Only to himself, however. He would never tell Annabeth - or Pepper, for that matter. He would never hear the end of it.

"My name is Annabeth Chase." Annabeth said. standing up and shaking Pepper's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Miss…"

"Potts." Pepper replied, "Pepper Potts. It's nice to meet you as well, Annabeth."

Tony wondered how in the world everyone liked Annabeth. First JARVIS, now Pepper…

"Well, I should probably be going." Annabeth said, looking at her watch, "The time slipped away from me, I think. My boyfriend is probably worrying."

Pepper looked relieved at that last sentence, and Tony resolved to talk to her later. Did she really think he would… Annabeth was seventeen, for goodness sake! Well, he didn't actually know how old she was… but that was his guess, anyways.

"Goodbye, Annabeth." Came JARVIS' voice, "You will find some cookies by the elevator. I figured that you liked chocolate chip."

Annabeth smiled.

"I do!" She said, "Thanks, JARVIS."

Tony wondered why JARVIS never got him cookies.

Annabeth turned back to Tony and Pepper.

"It was nice to meet you both." Annabeth said, "Good luck on the arc reactor, Mr. Stark."

She turned away.

"Wait!" Tony said. Annabeth turned back, "You're coming back tomorrow, right?"

Annabeth's smile lit up the whole room.

"Of course." She replied, "How could you do it without me?"

And then she left.

Tony found himself still envisioning that smile.

Dang it. The girl had grown on him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

**By dearemmahansen**

"I still can't believe you let them get away," she mumbled in his ear.

"You and me both!" Clint said in frustration, face in his hands. "But I was dumped in the Hudson River! What was I supposed to do, fight the water?"

"Basically."

He shook his head, laughing. "I missed you."

"Attention!" Fury bellowed from the head of the table. Their four heads snapped to attention. "As you all know, both Barton _and _Hill failed-failed!- to bring our two esteemed guests for lunch. So, I've decided to bring in the big guns." He gestured to the woman on Clint's left. "Agent Romanoff is back from her mission. She's here to ensure that we actually get to talk to these people instead of making fools of SHIELD!"

Natasha snorted, and Clint rolled his eyes.

"Well, sir-" Coulson started, but Fury cut him off.

"No, Coulson," Fury snapped. "I know that you weren't part of these missions. Do you think I care? The organization that you are very much a part of has been unable to accomplish a simple task of getting me a meeting!"

"It's not exactly a meeting," Clint pointed out, and Natasha smirked.

Fury shot him a look. "Yes, it is! A meeting is still a meeting, even if it happens to take place between a government official and a suspicious citizen!"

"And you instructed us to get them by any means necessary!"

The director turned his back to Clint, pacing the length of the room. Clint's words rang true, but Fury never liked to acknowledge truths when they weren't ones he had coined.

"Well, sir," Natasha said, sitting up straighter. "Agent Hill showed me the video of her encounter with Potter." Hill winced, " I don't think any meeting we have with him after that can possibly be called a meeting. He has ... abilities that would make that difficult."

Fury gave an exasperated sigh. "Call it whatever you want, then. I want to have a talk with Mr. Potter and ask him what the hell technology he's using to make that… force field that stopped Hill's bullet."

"What if it's not technology?" Hill asked, clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Excuse me?"

Hill shifted, looking more uncomfortable than she usually did, "What if it's not technology? We know about Thor. Thor's hammer isn't a piece of tech. He somehow uses it to summon lightning and thunder and to fly."

"Your point is?" Fury prodded.

"If Thor's hammer isn't technology, then maybe Ha- Potter's force field isn't either."

"Are you suggesting that Harry Potter is also a Norse god?" Fury said, exasperated.

"Not necessarily- I'm just suggesting that since there's already a person we've encountered who doesn't use tech to make strange things happen, then why shouldn't there be another person who also doesn't use tech to make strange things happen? They don't necessarily have to be connected."

Fury sat down across from the four, resting his chin in his hand as he surveyed the agents. "Do you have any clue about why he can do something like that?"

No response.

"So we'll stick to my plan then? Romanoff, I'm sending you after Potter. He seems like the more dangerous of the individuals." Clint spluttered, and Fury cut him off. "Sorry about your dunk in the river, Agent Barton, but it's true. Potter's force fields seem like a larger threat - as well as the other things he may be able to do."

Natasha nodded. "Will he still be in his business?"

"Yes," Fury replied, before pausing. "But we can't just let Jackson get away."

"I can go after him-"

"That didn't end so well the last time," Agent Coulson said sharply, cutting Clint off. "Especially now that we know Annabeth Chase is a possible danger as well."

"I know better this time," Barton pointed out.

"Stop squabbling," Fury said with an eye roll. "Agent Barton, you'll get Jackson. Chase as well, if you truly know better this time."

Clint almost smiled, but Fury continued.

"You know what? Romanoff, I want you covering all three. Hill will still keep an eye on Potter," something sparked in Hill's eyes, "and Barton will _do his best _with Chase and Jackson, but I want you on all three cases."

"Got it," Natasha replied, Clint scowling.

Fury quieted, taking in the four agents. "Alright. You three have your orders. I don't want any mess ups this time. I want Chase, Jackson, and Potter all here in the facility in the next seventy two hours. I will not tolerate any mistakes."

Hill nodded, standing and exiting the room as she began to quietly and quickly relay something into her headset. Clint stood, face contorted into an angry grimace, and left behind Hill.

"Sir," Natasha said, standing as well, "It's a good plan. But maybe… maybe you should get someone else cleared to help us if it goes south."

"How do you mean?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe get the old man ready. Just in case something goes wrong with capturing- sorry, _getting you a meeting with_ Chase, Jackson, or Potter."

Fury considered this for a moment before nodding. "Coulson?"

Agent Coulson shot up from his seat.

"Pay our friend Mr. Rogers a visit. And he might need a few new punching bags."

Coulson's eyes widened, "Y-yes sir." He almost smiled, something Natasha rarely saw on the agent's face, before dashing out the door.

Fury turned back to Natasha. "Yes?"

Natasha cleared her throat. "And maybe… not just Mr. Rogers."

The director paused. "Do you really think the initiative's required right now?"

Natasha shrugged. "Well, it couldn't hurt having some extra hands on deck."

Fury pondered this before nodding. "Dismissed."

Natasha exited, and Fury sat back at the table, selecting a file from the stack in front of his chair. He wasn't expecting to use his initiative from something that appeared so simple, but he trusted Agent Romanoff's judgement. If she thought so, then it was time for the Avengers.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

**By shadowphoenix55**

"No, it has to be _vibranium_!" Annabeth shouted in one of their rather heated debates, "There's no other metal that could withstand that much power!"

"Vibranium would be great, but there's only a shield's worth on Earth!" Tony fired back.

"That's not how it works!"

"That _is _how it works, Chase!"

"Well what's _your _solution, then!"

"More palladium!"

"More of the same substance won't do anything! It'll _all _just collapse!"

"WHY DON'T WE TRY?"

"GO AHEAD AND BLOW HALF YOUR LAB UP!"

Both stopped for breath. Tony was doubtful of his side of the argument by now, but he wasn't going to let Annabeth win. He'd make it work.

Tony spun, storming over to the staircase that led down to his lab. Before he could get there, however, a hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him.

"Let go." Tony said sharply, pulling to no avail. Wow, she was stronger than she looked.

"Mr. Stark." Annabeth said softly, "You _know _you're wrong. And that's... okay?" The statement came out as a bit of a question, "I'm wrong er- sometimes," her hesitation was kind of funny, "and you help me understand. Even if I'm as stubborn as you."

Tony chuckled a bit, before stopping himself. His mouth was betraying him.

"I don't want you to blow up half your lab, and neither do you." Annabeth finished, "So let's just figure something else out. You know we can."

Tony sighed. How could he say no to those frightening eyes and _convincing_ speech?

"You sound like a therapist." He commented. Annabeth chuckled, releasing his arm, "A bad one, at that."

"Also, did you inject steel into yourself?" Tony asked, going back over to the couch, "You're grip is…"

"I go to the gym." Annabeth replied shortly, "Unlike you, apparently."

Tony clutched his chest, mock-gasping.

"You wound me." He said, and the two snickered.

"Not as much as your failed element." Annabeth said jokingly as she stopped laughing, "If only you could find a new one."

Tony stood up straight, as if someone had shocked him.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"That's it!" Tony shouted, "A new element! Annabeth, you're a genius!"

Annabeth's eyes widened.

"That… might work."

—-

Tony stared at their new element.

They'd done it.

"We did it." Annabeth whispered, awestruck, "WE DID IT!"

She raced at Tony and grabbed him in a hug. Tony stared, unsure of what to do. He hadn't been hugged in… well, never, really.

Tony carefully put his arms around the smaller girl. They stood there for a few seconds. Tony found himself actually liking the hug - unlike all of his predictions.

"Now, you know we are totally calling it Starkium." Tony said after a moment. Annabeth pulled away, the familiar fire sparking in her eyes.

"Actually, I think Chaseium sounds better."

And then everything was back to normal.

—-

Pepper walked in as they were putting they were commanding JARVIS to create the power core using their new element - Stasium.

"Hello, Miss Chase." Pepper said.

"Hi, Miss Potts." Annabeth replied, looking up.

"The other interns want to know what happened to you." Pepper said, "I came to ask Tony, but you can insert your input since you're here."

"Well, obviously I can't be called Tony's coworker-"

"Assistant-" Tony cut in.

"Because the press would go mad. Also, I don't want any more targets on my back."

Any _more_?

"So you'll be Pepper's assistant." Tony cut in, and the two looked at him, "So you can continue to be my _assistant _while not upsetting the whole company."

Pepper and Annabeth shared a look.

"Did he actually put a logical thought together on his own?" Annabeth asked. Tony did his squawk-thing.

"I think he did." Pepper said, smirking, "I'll go tell the interns. Nice brainstorming session. Try to make sure Mr. Stark doesn't do anything dumb while I'm gone."

"As always, Miss Potts." Annabeth replied with a smirk.

The two high-fived, and Pepper left.

"Women." Tony mumbled.

That lead to a two hour rant from Annabeth about gender inequality.

Oops.

—-

"This calls for a celebration." Tony said, gesturing at the small arc reactor that could power a house for a long time.

"We haven't created one that could power a city, yet-" Annabeth started.

"All we need to do is make it larger." Tony cut in. Annabeth nodded, "So, let's celebrate."

He grabbed a wine bottle from a cooler and poured two glasses.

"I'm not old enough to drink wine." Annabeth commented.

"It's not for you." Tony replied.

Annabeth's eyes widened.

"You're going to drink… both glasses?" She asked incredulously.

"Of course not!" Tony replied, "I'm going to drink the whole bottle."

"You can't." Annabeth said, "That's not good for you."

Tony shrugged.

"Watch me."

He picked up a glass and started chugging.

Annabeth walked forward and reached to take the wine bottle away. Tony's hand slammed down onto her arm, and suddenly they were both very serious.

"Don't." Tony said.

"You don't." Annabeth replied. A memory of her stepmother flashed back to her, and she swung her other hand up and pushed Tony back with all of her might. His glass toppled out of his hand, but he kept a steady hold on Annabeth as he fell. The two toppled down, Annabeth falling on top of Tony. Tony's shirt got caught on the side of the counter and ripped in one loud motion. The two became a tangle of limbs. Annabeth opened her mouth to say something when there was a loud _bang _from behind them.

They both turned to see Pepper Potts standing there, a dropped pile of papers scattered beneath her. She turned briskly and started walking in the other direction.

Tony and Annabeth looked at each other with wide eyes.

"I'll go-" Tony started.

"No, I have to." Annabeth replied, getting up in one fluid motion. She raced after Pepper, leaving Tony alone. Tony's mind went to Pepper's comment from before - _Who's this? _and her expression when Annabeth said she had a boyfriend. And now, she had walked in on them laying on the floor in a heap. Tony's ripped shirt and the broken wine glass on the floor probably didn't help, either.

Oh no.

What had he done?

—-

Tony stared at the ceiling for a good thirty minutes, lost in thought.

By the twenty fifth minute, he wondered if the two were ever going to come back.

By the twenty ninth, the thought that they killed each other passed through his head.

By the thirtieth, he felt useless for simply laying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling.

By the thirty first minute, Tony was up on his feet.

Pepper and Annabeth walked back into the room together just as Tony finished cleaning up the spilled wine glass.

"Annabeth explained what happened to me." Pepper said, breaking the awkward silence. She gave Tony one of her _how could you _looks, "She's forgiven. You, on the other hand…"

"Pepper was very kind and understanding." Annabeth cut in, "But she agrees with me. Drinking isn't healthy, and you're obviously addicted."

Tony ignored her last comment.

"So you two are on a first name basis now?" Tony asked incredulously. Pepper and Annabeth glanced at each other, before replying in sync:

"Yes."

"Mr. Stark, Annabeth has something to say to you." Pepper continued, "I'll leave you two alone."

She left the room, but not before giving Tony another look. Apparently, she trusted the new teenager, but not her boss since forever.

Annabeth sighed, before sitting down in front of Tony.

"I'm sorry." She said, "What you were doing was wrong, but I overreacted. My… someone in my family drank sometimes. There was this one time that… yeah. And when you… when you grabbed my arm…" Annabeth's voice was at a whisper, now, "Please don't fire me."

Tony had never seen the girl so vulnerable. A pang coursed through him as he realized that he made her that way - and another pang when he realized why Annabeth was so scared. A drunk family member. Grabbing her arm. Tony knew it happened, but he never thought… Annabeth didn't seem like an abused kid. Not neglected, either. She didn't have any symptoms of it, like Tony did… well, that's what Tony had thought an hour ago.

"Are you still living with them?" He asked quietly.

"N-no." Annabeth said, "I haven't been for awhile. I live with my boyfriend, now. I don't need them-"

She cut herself off. Almost as if she didn't want to appear _too_ vulnerable.

Tony understood that. He did it all of the time.

"I'm fine now, Mr. Stark. Thanks." Annabeth said, her "happy" voice sounding a strained, "I managed to get my life back on track when I was younger, and part of that involved leaving them behind." She paused for a moment, lost in thought, "I… I should go."

She stood and practically sprinted out the door, arms clutched close to her chest.

And Tony had no idea what to do.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

By shadowphoenix55 AND dearemmahansen

(if you can guess who did which part, we'll give you a shout out ;) uwu)

Harry's paranoia had significantly gone up since the Maria Hill incident. He'd charmed the house and restaurant so that she couldn't get in - using a strand of hair that he had found on his clothes after their fight. Even with that, he was extra jumpy. Percy coming in with a "new style" didn't help the situation - it only brought back the memory of the day. Harry knew that Percy was expecting him to ask how the two had known about Hill, but Harry knew that would only scare them off even more. They had been avoiding _the Traveller's Inn _like it had a plague inside - or a killer. Harry didn't blame them. He'd be the same way. They probably suspected him of something even more now that they'd recognized Maria Hill. Well, not exactly. Harry suspected they'd come upon someone like Hill - someone from her organization, SHIELD. And that made him even more nervous. SHIELD had to be after people with magical abilities, which all three of them had. Well, Harry wasn't sure exactly what magic Percy and Annabeth had, but they had magic auras.

Harry wondered how many other magicals this SHIELD knew about.

Harry also wondered how long the Wizarding World was going to last with this organization chasing magic. Harry dearly hoped he was the only magical - well, wizard - being targeted. Otherwise - goodbye, Statue of Secretary.

"Hi!" A high voice said, pulling Harry out of his thoughts, "I'm Peter."

Harry looked down to see a small boy standing in the entryway, backpack in hand. He looked to be about twelve years old.

"Hi, Peter." Harry said, effectively distracted, "Where's your parents?"

Peter flinched, and Harry knew that he said the wrong thing.

"No worries, my friend." Harry said, attempting to sound cheerful, "Would you like a snack?"

Peter nodded, looking a bit more cheerful.

"I'm just coming back from school." Peter informed him seriously, "I saw your place. It's really nice, Mr…"

"Peverell." Harry cut in, "But call me Harry."

"Just Harry?" Peter asked.

"Just Harry." Harry replied, grinning. Normally, that phrase would remind him of Hill and SHIELD, but now… somehow, Peter had distracted him that much. Not a lot of young kids stopped by _the Traveller's Inn._

"Okay, Harry." Peter said, trying out saying "an adult's" first name, "Can I have fries? Do you have those, here?"

Harry nodded with a smile. He went onto other tables, but throughout the entire ten minutes he was helping other customers, he made sure to keep an eye on Peter. He seemed like a good kid, but Harry wasn't sure if he had a guardian, or if that guardian treated Peter well… it was a bit odd for a twelve year old to show up alone at a restaurant.

When the fries were done, Harry brought them over to Peter, who was quietly doing his homework.

"Isn't someone worrying about you, Peter?" Harry asked, deciding to broach the topic.

Peter's eyes widened.

"Oh no." Peter said, grabbing his homework and shoving it into his bag, "Aunt May's going to give me another lecture…"

Harry's concerns were mostly gone.

"Did you just forget to come home on time?" Harry asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah." Peter said, grabbing a fry and chopping it down, "I do that a lot, and it always makes Aunt May really worried- oh my."

The taste must have registered.

"It tastes really good, Mr. - I mean, Harry." Peter said, looking longingly at the fries while he swung his backpack on.

"Well, take them!" Harry said.

"But they're in a bowl-"

"Just bring it back with you the next time you come." Harry replied, placing the fries in Peter's hands, "And remember to tell your Aunt where you're going."

Peter nodded, a wide smile on his face.

Harry found that he was smiling as well.

"Bye, Harry!" Peter said, waving as he hurried out the door, fries in hand.

Harry smiled throughout the whole rest of the work day, thinking of Peter and his infectious happiness.

Of course, Harry's happiness didn't last.

—-

A new girl was in his restaurant.

No, not a girl.

She was definitely a woman- a woman wearing a red shirt and black jeans, a leather laptop bag that she had pulled off her shoulder when she'd entered and sat down at a small corner table. She had short red hair that she had in a small bun, and sparkling eyes that looked at the entire restaurant with interest. She wasn't doing anything suspicious, as far as Harry could tell, but he was watching her carefully as she typed away on her computer. He'd brought her a large coffee and a caprese sandwich, to which she'd smiled and thanked him, but she hadn't looked at him since.

Now, the restaurant was closing. Most patrons had already left, save a few that were packing up- yet the red haired woman hadn't made a move to exit the building.

Finally, once the rest of the customers were gone, Harry approached her. "Excuse me, ma'am, but we're closing."

Her eyes flickered up to him with a sweet smile. "I know."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed, but he pressed on. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"No thank you," the woman replied, eyes returning to her computer screen.

He sighed. Harry hated those rare people who truly believed that the customer was always right. Once or twice, he'd had to stay open an extra hour or two, just waiting for that one jerk to pack up his things and finally leave.

"Ma'am? This is not a request any longer. I need you to please exit the establishment."

"Why should I?" The woman's eyes never left her computer screen.

"This business is closed. You need to leave."

The woman slowly closed her computer, and looked up at Harry. "Mmhmm."

"So?"

"No need to be rude, Mr. Potter," the woman cooed with a grin. "But I think I'm the one in charge here."

"Excuse me?!" Harry snapped, staring at her. There's another one; she must be with Natalie Brown-Maria Hill. "What do you mean?!"

The woman stood up slowly. "I'm going to need you to follow me, Mr. Potter. I know some people who really need to speak to you."

Why was this woman so familiar to him?... Ah. When he'd looked through Maria Hill's mind. He'd seen this woman... Romanoff. Her name was Romanoff.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Harry spluttered. "I don't know what you mean by 'Potter'!"

Romanoff advanced. "This is a request no longer," she said mockingly. "Follow me, Mr. Potter."

Harry's eyes widened. "No."

Romanoff sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not here to fight you, but I will if I must."

"I don't want to fight you," Harry replied, "But I will if I must."

Romanoff nodded. "Sorry about this, then." And she jabbed a punch to his throat.

Harry stumbled backwards, wheezing for air as one hand went up to clutch his throat. The other went to his back pocket, where his wand rested, half in his pocket and half concealed by his shirt.

"Again," Romanoff said, standing over him. "I need you to come with me."

"No," Harry said again.

Romanoff's boot reared up (why hadn't Harry noticed how sharp her heels were?)-

Right before her boot made contact with his head, Harry gripped his wand and apparated out of the restaurant.

Romanoff's stared down at where Harry had been in shock, before a slow grin crept over her face. Fury was going to love this.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

By shadowphoenix55 and dearemmahansen (guess who did what to get a shout out)

"How was work?" Percy asked cheerily, leaning over the couch to look at Annabeth.

"Fine," Annabeth mumbled, closing the door. Hard.

His expression immediately went from pleased- he'd gotten a 91% on a math quiz and _couldn't wait_ to tell her- to concerned. "What happened?"

"We finished the element," Annabeth said shortly. "Stasium."

"That's awesome!" Percy exclaimed. "Annabeth- you've created a new element! That's incredible!"

She nodded, setting her bag down next to her shoes and crossing to the couch, slumping down. "Percy…"

He took her hand, looking at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm messed up?"

"_What_?"

"Do you think I'm messed up?" Annabeth repeated, looking up at him with watery gray eyes.

"Of course not!" Percy said quickly in surprise. "Why would you think that?"

"Mr. Stark and I were celebrating our element, and he had some wine-" Percy's stomach twisted- "and he grabbed my arm. Not in that way!" She quickly added at Percy's look, "I was reminded of her, and… and it went downhill from there."

"So…" Percy asked.

"We fought, Pepper Potts came in, we made up. I'm not fired. We're too good of- associates?-for him to do that. I think." Annabeth said in a monotone. She then looked at the ground, "And then I ran."

Percy took a step towards Annabeth and crashed into her, hugging his girlfriend with all of his might.

"It's okay." He said. Annabeth hugged him back, and Percy was suddenly reminded of how strong she was. Annabeth smelled of a workshop plus sweat, but Percy didn't care. Annabeth was almost never this… this broken, but when she was, Percy had to be there to pick up the pieces no matter what , "Everything is going to be okay."

That's when an arrow flew through the window.

Percy was pretty sure the world hated him. Well, at least the Fates.

Percy's back was to the window, so he didn't see it, but his instincts went haywire seconds before he heard the window shatter.

Everything went in a blur. Annabeth and Percy, still in a hug, moved, somehow - Percy's feet were lifted off of the ground, the world became a blur- and then something in his arms went limp.

Annabeth fell to the floor, and arrow sticking out of her back.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted, dropping to the floor.

Those wide grey eyes seemed calm, even as everything seemed to be in chaos.

"The man." Annabeth said.

"What?" Percy asked stupidly.

"_The man_." Annabeth repeated, eyes flicking to the window.

On the next window over, Barton, who had tried to kidnap them stood with a bow in his hands. He started running, as if he was going to jump.

"Percy _go_." Annabeth said emphatically, coughing up blood.

"It'll not leaving you." Percy replied, and he scooped Annabeth up in his arms, attempting not to move where the arrow had hit her.

Barton threw some sort of rope and swung towards the window.

Barton has shot his girlfriend. Actually, he had shot Percy and Annabeth had taken the arrow for him.

Percy let his power loose. Every single water pipe in the house broke, and a flood of water slammed into the window Barton was aiming for, roaring as it pushed him down into the street.

"_Go._" It was more of a rasp than anything else, but Percy heard it loud and clear.

The water swirled around his feet, building up until it was like a mini tornado. It carried Percy and Annabeth to the window and out of it. They landed on the next roof.

Percy looked down into the alley he'd dropped Barton in.

Barton was gone.

Percy cursed.

A grunt brought him back to the girl in his arms. Annabeth lay there, arrow in her hand.

She'd pulled it out.

Taking the knife from her side, Annabeth sliced her shirt into pieces. Wrapping it around her wound, which was bleeding like crazy and went all the way through her side, she stood up.

Percy let his hands fall.

Annabeth staggered a bit, but put a hand up to Percy.

"No." She said, "I can do this."

And she took a running jump off of the roof.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted, following her. His girlfriend stood on the next roof.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain!" She shouted (or at least attempted to), "We're trying to get away, here!"

Percy jumped.

They made it three more roofs until Barton landed on one with them.

Annabeth, one hand holding her side, drew her dagger.

"Leave. Us. Alone." She said, a trickle of blood making its way down from her lips. She let go of her side and signaled to Percy.

Barton had the audacity to have some form of respect and awe pass over his face before reaching for an arrow.

Drawing Riptide, Percy launched himself at Barton. Barton dodged to the side, putting his bow away and reaching for a dagger of his own. It was more of a short sword, actually, being a bit shorter than the length of his forearm. It was pretty cool, having holes on the non-sharp side and being almost black in color-but Percy was getting off topic.

The two weapons met. Annabeth's wound fresh in his mind, Percy stared at Barton with a level of fierceness he'd only felt once before.

They fought. Percy has a go at Barton every chance he got, but the older man was quick. Dodging with ease and giving as much as he got, the Barton quickly pushed Percy to the edge. Percy leaned back to dodge a punch, waving his arms to keep his balance. He ducked under Barton's legs, attempting to get time to concentrate and summon the water, but Barton spun around quickly. Barton lifted some sort of taser, ready to drive it down-

But he had forgotten about the other person on the roof.

Annabeth kicked Barton off of the roof.

Annabeth slumped.

"Annabe-" But she didn't even let Percy get that far.

"Catch me." She said, and jumped down after Barton.

Percy jumped after her, calling whatever water source was nearest. Water filled the alley, stopping their fall just enough. Percy's feet hit the ground seconds after Annabeth's did.

Barton stood, limping a bit, six feet in front of them. He made a move towards his bow-

The water pushed him out of the alley, going with him.

Percy turned to Annabeth, who finally allowed herself to slide against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked. What a dumb question - of course she wasn't, "Should I call a hospital? How do I even do that again? Annabeth you _can't _leave me."

"Relax, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said. Her makeshift wrap was bright red, "Find the nearest phone - unless yours isn't fried. Dial 991. Ask for an ambulance and tell them the street. Say-" Annabrth coughed up some more blood, "Say we got mugged by some weird guy with a bow and arrow. Tell them I'm injured. I'll make it until they get here. Barton's dealt with. We'll be fine."

Percy felt the words wash over him with a calm.

Of course, the Fates didn't particularly like Annabeth either.

Her eyes widened just as Percy heard a footstep. Percy whipped around, hand going to Riptide-

-to find Barton holding a knife to his throat.


End file.
